November 2011

Get ready to raise your flute… Award-Winning Flûte Champagne Bar is set to open in London on December 8th

THE LOWDOWN:

Flûte was created in 1997 by founder/owner Hervé Rousseau, in a space on West 54th Street NYC. As a native Parisian, Hervé was inspired by his experience in the wine industry to combine New York’s unparalleled cocktail culture with a French attitude towards champagne, where no one waits for a special occasion to pop open a bottle of bubbly.
Flûte is most famous for their extensive list of champagnes. The London location promises to be more of the same – a place where London’s glitterati can get together and enjoy a glass or bottle of bubbly in stylish surroundings.

THE LOOK:

The London branch of Flute will follow the concept of the New York bars, featuring five private booths tailor-made for business or pleasure with their own volume and light controls.

PLAYLIST:

Music will play a key part in the Flûte Bar & Lounge offering, with a playlist created by top New York DJs Duane Harriott and Alec DeRuggiero. The venue will also present a full schedule of weekly and monthly events, including live jazz.

THE FIZZ:

Champagnes on offer will include vintage, non-vintage, prestige cuvée, rosé and boutique together with fabulous rare grower champagnes from choice vineyards. In addition, Flûte Bar & Lounge will premiere exciting new varieties such as Drappier Brut Nature Zero Dosage rosé and also serve some killer cocktails …so I’ve been told!

There will be approx.100 Champagnes by the bottle and 25 by the glass, with prices starting at £5 for a glass and £45 for a bottle – with today’s market, this is affordable!

THE FOOD:

There will be an innovative menu of light bites, spearheaded by a spring roll bar serving no less than 20 different fusion creations, an ideal accompaniment to a glass of chilled champagne.

WHO GOES: To be determined.

ADDRESS:

Flûte Bar & Lounge
4 Great Portland Street,
Soho,
London,
W1W 8PA
http://flutebar.com

World’s 50 Best Bars 2011 Announced

PDT, New York

The 2011 World’s 50 Best Bars list has been published, in partnership with sponsor Stolichnaya. This year, New York speakeasy PDT (“Please Don’t Tell”) took the top spot, with London hotel bars The Connaught and the Artesian in second and third place.

Back to New York for number 4 with Death & Co. A full list of the Top 50 can be seen below.

The poll was conducted by World’s 50 Best Bars editor Lucy Britner and US drinks writer Camper English. The pair canvassed around 100 bar professionals including the Playboy Club’s Salvatore Calabrese, King Cocktail Dale DeGroff, Esquire US’s David Wondrich and diamond ice-carver Hidetsugu Ueno. We believe this is the first time that the top names in the industry have come together to vote for their favourite bars – making it our most authoritative list to date.

These votes were coupled with global votes from 100 bars polled or featured in the 2010 list. Votes were received from every continent and bars in 16 countries made the top 50.

Lucy Britner said: “This year, voters have walked through phone booths and wardrobes, rung bells on unmarked doors and called to book appointments in order to file their nominations for the World’s 50 Best Bars. The list seems to pay homage to the speakeasy- style bar, which goes hand-in-hand with knowing how to create the classics, unearth old recipes and recreate forgotten ingredients.

“At the same time, voters are romanced by exquisitely decorated hotel bars that serve beautifully prepared drinks, made by immaculately turned-out bartenders. The wealth of diversity and expertise in the bar scene makes this one of the most exciting lists to date.”

1. PDT, New York

2 Connaught, London

3 Artesian, London

4 Death & Co. New York

5 Milk & Honey, London

6 American Bar at the Savoy, London

7 69 Colebrooke Row, London

8 Drink, Boston US

9 Harry’s New York Bar, Paris

10 Black Pearl, Melbourne, Australia

11 Pegu Club, NY

12 Dry Martini Bar, Barcelona

13 Eau De Vie, Sydney

14 Bramble, Edinburgh

15 Employees Only, New York

16 La Capilla Bar, Mexico

17 Merchant Hotel, Belfast

18 Nightjar, London

19 Smuggler’s Cove, San Francisco

20 Buddha Bar, Paris

21 Skyview Bar, Dubai

22 The Varnish, Los Angeles

23 Tippling Club, Singapore

24 Milk & Honey, New York

25 878 Bar, Buenos Aires

26 Der Raum, Melbourne

27 Callooh Callay, London

28 Clover Club, New York

29 Door74, Amsterdam

30 Tommy’s, San Francisco

31 Floridita, Havana

32 City Space, Moscow

33 Matterhorn, Wellington, NZ

34 High Five Bar, Tokyo

35 Le Lion, Hamburg

36 LAB, London

37 Boadas, Barcelona

38 Dutch Kills, New York

39 Worship St Whistling Shop, London

40 BarAgricole, San Francisco

41 Papa Doble, Montpellier

42 Quo Vadis, London

43 Lounge Bohemia, London

44 Mayahuel, New York

45 Mutis, Barcelona

46 Ruby, Copenhagen

47 Rules, London

48 Hemingway Bar, Paris

49 Zuma, Dubai

50 Star Bar, Tokyo

Liz Palmer
@champagnehouses

Winston’s Champagne Bar – A Step Back In Time

Brian Gefter and Michael Satsky, club entrepreneurs, who cater to international clientele, recently opened Winston’s Champagne Bar. This elegant opulent champagne-only bar is located beneath the Gansevoort Park Hotel, New York.

THE LOOK:
The petite airy space evokes 1940s opulence with black reflective surfaces, Napoleonic wallpaper, bubble chandeliers, a yellow Schumann piano, and A cozy balcony which reached up a circular staircase.

PLAYLIST:
Cocktail music from the 1940’s fills the air while you enjoy your Champagne sipping.

THE FIZZ:
There are over 100 choices from 20 houses. Including the Grande Marque, there is also an emphasis on grower Champagnes, including: Billiot, Egly Ouriet and Jacques Selosse, and the finds by the glass prove to be a great adventure, including Godmé and Agrapart.

WHO GOES:
Men in dark, conservative attire. Some women in suits, lots with over plunging necklines, others slither about in reptilian-print leggings.

THE VERDICT:
Timeless luxury! It’s for the jet-set crowd that’s already arrived.

Winston’s Champagne Bar
420 Park Avenue South (East 29th Street)
(212) 929-9070
winstonschampagnebar.com
Open daily from 5 p.m. to 4 a.m.

Liz Palmer
@champagnehouses

Pop-up Symphony at Searcys Champagne Bar St Pancras Grand – Europe’s longest Champagne bar

This past week, to the surprise of Searcys Champagne Bar St Pancras Grand patrons, and travelers of Pancras Grand a ‘Pop-Up’ rendition of the finale of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony at St Pancras International was performed.

Patrons and travelers were serenaded by the BBC Symphony Orchestra and massed choir, led by the BBC SO Principal Guest Conductor David Robertson performing one of the greatest European anthems of all time – ‘Ode to Joy’.

Ailish Tynan, Daniela Lehner, Allan Clayton and James Rutherford make up the quartet of soloists for this unique performance, which heralds the most in-depth exploration of the Symphony ever undertaken by the BBC.

“Ode to have been lucky to have been there!”

Not only is Searcys Champagne Bar St Pancras Grand the largest Champagne bar in Europe, I have found it to have the largest selection of Grande Marque houses in the UK, with 20 offerings by-the-glass.

Liz Palmer
@champagnehouses

Kate Del Castillo Becomes Moet Champagne Spokeswoman

The holidays are fast approaching, so expect plenty of champagne toasts in the next few weeks. And if you happen to live in Houston or Los Angeles, you may be able to clink a glass of bubbly with Kate del Castillo. The La Reina del Sur star is now “officially” a spokeswoman for Moet.

Kate will be participating in the “Estrella de Moet” campaign, which has her making several live appearances at champagne retail outlets. Customers who happen to be there on the right day and at the right time will get to meet del Castillo and join her for a spirited toast.

“I’m honored to be working with Moet and excited to toast with my fans in celebration of the holiday season,” Kate happily said in a recent statement.

As of right now, her appearance locations are being kept under wraps. What we do know is that del Castillo will be promoting the bubbly in Houston on November 11-12 and in Los Angeles during early December. So if you see a limo in the BevMo parking lot during that time, grab your camera and give our regards to Kate!

Liz Palmer
@champagnehouses